Friday, November 4, 2016

Some Have No One Else

This week I was reminded of the simple fact that we have children at our school that have no one else. That we're they're only one. The only one who encourages them, celebrates them, believes in them.

I have students come into my office every day for "Hats Off" calls to celebrate them. Friday something different happened. I had called home to celebrate a third grader who struggles with school quite often. He was so excited about his "Hats Off" card. As we called mom (and had her on speaker phone), I told her the great reasons why I was calling home and how proud of her son we were. I then asked her, as I do every parent, if she'd like to talk to her son to celebrate him too. Her response? "No, that's ok. I can talk to him later if I feel like it".

Wow. Did I mention she was on speaker phone? And her son heard the whole exchange. I watched this little boy lose all sense of excitement and instead put his head down. It broke my heart.

But it was a reminder. A reminder that our kids come from homes where they aren't always taught of their worth and value. And socioeconomic status doesn't always play a part. These kids come from home full of monetary wealth and homes devoid of any material things. Kids are kids.

It was a reminder for me to hug our kiddos a little tighter. To give a few more high fives. To dance a little more. To laugh as much as possible. To celebrate every single moment. For we may be the only way celebrating that challenge and I want to be the pebble in that child's pond of life where ripples are felt for years to come.

Week at a Glance

National Young Readers Week!

Monday - Marvel and Boenker Out

Tuesday - Nesloney Out

Curriculum Visit in the AM from Central

Social Studies Vertical - 3:30pm - TP Room with Boenker

Wednesday - Fire Drill

PTO Meeting - 5:30pm - Library

Thursday - #ReadYourHeartOut day (Share reading all day on Social Media)

Nesloney Reading on Roof all Day

Friday - Delic on Campus (meet during Conferences)

Veteran's Day Program - 7:45am - All Teachers needed in Gym at 7:35am

TP Time

We will continue looking at LP during TP time as well as discussing homework

Monday - First Grade

Tuesday - Kinder

Wednesday - 5th Grade

Thursday - 4th Grade

Friday - 3rd Grade

Lesson Plans

Should be updated through November 18th

T-TESS

If you have not scheduled yours yet, you need to have a date decided on by the end of this week with your evaluator!

The Best Part of Me

When I visited my friend Brad Gustafson's school last week, this activity stuck out to me. It was called "The Best Part of Me". Not only were the photos, taken by the kids, PHENOMENAL, but the writing was as well. HERE is a link to the Scholastic article.

Jessica Schutzenhofer - Jessica (Kjos) is one of our 2nd grade teachers. One thing I appreciate about Jessica is how excited she can get about her students. The best example was on Friday when Jessica had her kids doing a reader's theatre. She was so excited for the kids to do it that she really wanted me to to see it. So badly that she rearranged their day so it would fit in my schedule. The kids did amazingly well and had voices and all. They loved the experience. I am so thankful we have teachers like Jessica who will give kids experiences that allow them to be creative and have fun, while also learning and connecting with each other!

Olivia Aguinaga - Olivia is one of our 3rd grade teachers. Olivia brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her team. But even more so than that Olivia has a playful side that she lets out every now and again. I absolutely loved the way she dressed up for our 50s day this week! By far my favorite costume, I even had to do a double take to figure out who it was. Our kids remember those little things. Those times we danced with them, those times we dressed up, those times we used special voices. I am so thankful we have teachers on our campus who are building those memories for our kiddos.

Maura Pavlock - Maura is one of our PPCD IAs. Maura is a breath of encouragement every single day. She always shows up, upbeat, ready to go. Even on days where she definitely doesn't want to be here. Maura is funny and fun. But most of all she has a deep love for the kids she serves. You can see it in not only the way she works with them but in the way she talks with them as well. I am so thankful we have educators on our stuff who love kids with every ounce of their being.

In Closing....

Remember this next week, as we get closer and closer to the Holidays, that the holidays aren't happy experiences for all of our students. Some dread those days where they have to be at home instead of being at school. And because of that fear and dread they will act out in different ways. We have to have a big enough heart to love them anyway. To forgive them time and time again. To wrap them in compassion, patience, and honesty. We have to show them we aren't going anywhere, we aren't going to abandon or give up on them, and we love them so very much. Because we might be the only one.